KARYNE: Hey, I�m Karyne Levy
EMILY: And I'm Emily Dreyfuss.
KARYNE: Happy new year and welcome to Rumor Has It!
The show where we round up the week's biggest tech
rumors.
EMILY: And vote on what sounds legit, and what seems like
it'll never ever happen.
KARYNE: And remember: you can vote on all the rumors!
Keep your eye out for the poll in the interactive player, if
you're watching on CNET.
EMILY: First, looks like BlackBerry Messenger users are
finally going to get video chat. Images leaked of the new
FaceTime-like service for BlackBerry 10 in a reader forum
on CrackBerry.com, but have since been taken down.
KARYNE: But not before Boy Genius Report snagged a few
for posterity.
EMILY: I didn�t even realize BlackBerrys HAD cameras.
Kidding! But only kinda.
The launch of BlackBerry 10 is slated for January 30th, so if
you care about this at all, you�ll find out then if it�s for real.
KARYNE: Next up, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi
Shimbun, Toshiba is creating Lytro-like camera technology
for mobile devices that should be released before the end of
2013.
Much like Lytro's light-field camera, Toshiba's version
would let people choose what part of a photo they'd like to
focus on after they've taken the shot. This camera would
also supposedly record video in a similar fashion, which is
something Lytro hasn't yet introduced.
EMILY: This is an awesome concept. The Lytro camera is
unimaginably fun to play with, but it�s a standalone device
that�s decidedly unnecessary, when thinking about
dropping a few hundred bucks. If it were built into a phone,
though, whoa.
KARYNE: Yeah, I wonder if putting the tech into a camera
that you have with you all the time will allow it to take off?
Or if it'll be just another gimmicky feature, like 3D.
EMILY: Russian gadget review site Rozetked has a video of
the Samsung Galaxy S4 that is really cool. Like, stop what
you�re doing and go watch it cool. OK, did you see how
THIN the S4 looks? That laser keyboard that projects onto
the table and works perfectly?!
KARYNE: It makes the Galaxy S3 look like an old wooden
crank phone.
EMILY: I know, but before you go out and sell your S3 on
Amazon, let�s consider the source: Rozetked is a Russian
gadget news site. This video was made in-house by them of
supposedly �leaked parts.� The marketing language is in
English, but is not formed by someone entirely fluent.
KARYNE: As employees of a gadget news site ourselves, let
us tell you how unlikely it is that leaked parts of the hottest
phone in the world right now made it onto a Rozetked
editor�s desk.
EMILY: That would be highly unlikely. More likely, the
graphic design team in Russia is pretty talented. And that�s
not nothing. It�s a cool video. Just almost certainly fake.
KARYNE: Next, an Apple rumor that doesn't have to do with
a phone or a TV. Can you believe it?
Business Insider is reporting that Apple has partnered with
Intel to develop an iOS watch. According to supply chain
sources, the watch would be Bluetooth-enabled and would
have a 1.5-inch OLED screen. And it would be released
sometime in the first half of the year.
EMILY: This isn't completely unfamiliar territory for Apple,
of course. You can buy a band for the iPod Nano and wear
that on your wrist, just like CNET editor Scott Stein. He
loves his Nano watch!
KARYNE: I don't see a reason for Apple not to do this -- it'd
be great to wear while exercising. And if it had a FaceTime
camera, you could pretend you were a spy.
EMILY: Plus, it would be the greatest father�s day ever.
EMILY: What do you guys think? Would you be into an
Apple smart watch? What awesome features do you think it
will have? What colors? Let's see what the CNET Council
thinks.
EMILY: And the CNET Council�s verdict is...
KARYNE: That�s our show everyone, share your rumors at
rumorhasit@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-750-CNET. And
tweet us!
EMILY: Next week we will be coming at you LIVE from the
CNET stage at CES in Las Vegas! We'll see if we can
scrounge up any hot rumors from the show floor.